Michigan s No Kill Conference 2012 Getting to the Goal Speakers

Michigan s No Kill Conference 2012 Getting to the Goal Speakers Cathy Anderson, DVM, is the shelter medicine veterinarian at Jackson County Animal Shelter. In addition, she is an adjunct professor at Baker College of Clinton Township. She teaches in the veterinary technology program there. Cathy is also one of the founding members of PAWS Pet Rescue out of Brighton, Michigan, which has the mission to work with Jackson County Animal Shelter (JCAS). PAWS receives animals from JCAS that have medical issues that make rehoming virtually impossible. These animals medical issues are frequently addressed as part of the teaching process for the veterinary technology students. In essence, the triad between a rescue group, the county shelter and the technology program represent Bridging the Gap, which is the topic of Cathy s discussion. Cathy is a member of the Animal Welfare and Legislative committees of the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) and has been very active in promoting the welfare of homeless animals. She lives in Brighton with her husband and daughter and several furry and feathered friends. Richard Angelo is an attorney with an office located in Genesee County. A large part of his practice involves handling companion animal related matters. Richard earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Oakland University in 1995 and went on to what was then known as Detroit College of Law, graduating in 1998 with his Juris Doctor. The school is now known as Michigan State University Law School. Early in his career, he found that the satisfaction he achieved in other practice areas couldn t compare with the fulfillment that came from helping animals. In 2000, he became a member of the Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and subsequently expanded his practice to include animal law. He has been serving as a council member of the Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan since 2009. Richard is one of the founding members of GRACE, Genesee Residents for Animal Control Evolution, which was founded in the summer of 2011. The purpose of the group was to assist Genesee County Animal Control in reforming practices, procedures and the image of the shelter due to its past reputation. Significant progress has been made at the shelter and great things are expected from the shelter going into the future. Richard resides with his wife Roberta in Genesee County, Michigan. Both Richard and Roberta are passionate about animal welfare and have been active in animal rescue for many years. They share their lives and home with four dogs, Bailey, Morgan, Heidi and Rosco, and two cats, Gracie and Dara. Cynthia Bathust, Ph.D., joined Best Friends as national director, Project Safe Humane, in 2008 after more than 25 years in contract mathematical analysis. During that time, she co-founded D.A.W.G. (Dog Advisory Work Group) as a nonprofit and started a court advocacy program for court cases involving animal abuse. She serves as commissioner on Chicago s Commission on Animal Care and Control, a member of the Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance, co-chair of the Task Force on Companion Animal Welfare and Public Safety for the Chicago City Council, a member of the Chicago City Clerk s Dog Owner Task Force and vice chair of the Cook County Partners Against Animal Cruelty Advisory Board to the Cook County Board. The American Veterinary Medical Association recently awarded her their 2009 Humane Award, an award given to a non-veterinarian who has advanced animal well-being, shown exemplary dedication to the care of animals, and contributed to the community and society. She currently serves as president of the Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance. Dee Bishop first became actively involved with the Humane Society of Bay County in 2007. She served as an alternate board member, then was elected to the Board and the position of vice president. She has held the position of president for two years. Dee retired from teaching math and history at Pinconning Middle School in 2010. She raised five children and within their household resided dogs, cats, cockatiels, gerbils, rabbits and one ferret named Rikki. After reading the book Redemption and attending the Getting to the Goal no-kill conference in Ann Arbor last year, Dee was motivated to move forward within Bay County to increase adoptions and reduce euthanasia of healthy adoptable animals at Bay County Animal Control, which in 2010 was tied for second place (save rate of 23%) amongst the eight worst counties in Michigan responsible for killing half of the animals. This has lead her on the long, arduous role of dealing with county government and all its bureaucratese and what brings her here today. 1

Shana Bombrys, LMSW, CADC, ADS, is an outpatient mental health/substance abuse therapist in private practice in the Lansing area. She received her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Michigan State University and her Master of Social Welfare from the University of Michigan. She has worked for more than 10 years with St. Vincent Catholic Charities doing refugee work and as a contractual therapist with children, families and couples. She worked for more than five years in the field of addiction with families, individuals and groups. She has extensive experience with trauma and the effects of trauma and compassion fatigue on caregivers. Debra Carmody has been the executive director of Cascades Humane Society in Jackson, Michigan, since 2005. Debra has more than 30 years non-profit management experience and has been a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) since 1989. She has a Bachelor of Fine Art from Northeastern University and her master s degree in organizational development from the University of Oklahoma. During her tenure, the organization s budget has grown from $450,000 to $750,000 while creating new programs such as on-site spay/neuter procedures for the general public. Sue Chambers, DVM, has been the director of veterinary services for Cascades Humane Society in Jackson, Michigan, since 2004. She is responsible for all aspects of any animal s related issues, including their mental and physical health, while managing 10 staff members and dozens of volunteers. Prior to joining CHS, she had nine years of experience with a veterinary hospital, specializing in exotics. Sandy Clark is actively researching the role of compassion fatigue for animal caretakers in rescue groups and shelter environments. She has observed and evaluated the behavior of individuals in an open admission shelter and the relative apathy that initially existed. In 2007, Sandy subsequently began to volunteer at that shelter and has been instrumental in empowering the staff of that shelter. As a result, the welfare of both the staff and the animals has greatly improved. At this time, Sandy is pursuing advanced education in compassion fatigue issues. Sandy has been a member of various animal rescue groups in the metropolitan area for the last 15 years. In 2009, she was instrumental in forming PAWS Pet Rescue with the express goal to rescue and rehome companion animals with medical issues from Jackson County. In addition to her dedication to PAWS Pet Rescue, Sandy owns Journey s End Pet Services, a pet cremation business. She lives on 25 acres northeast of Jackson and, in addition to her dogs and cats, Sandy shares her farm with goats, chickens, rabbits and a potbellied pig named Flower. Don Cleary serves as director of publications and communications for the National Canine Research Council and treasurer of Animal Farm Foundation. He recently retired as director of business affairs for the Jane Rotrosen Agency, a New York literary agency. In addition to researching, writing and speaking for the animals, he offers lectures on ancient and modern military history in adult school programs. Don lives in New Jersey with his wife and their two adopted dogs. 2

Stacey Coleman is the executive director of Animal Farm Foundation, a nonprofit, private foundation whose mission is to secure equal treatment and opportunities for pit bull dogs. As director, she is responsible for all aspects of the foundation s operations, including a grants program for shelters and rescues, an Assistance Dog Training Program for pit bull shelter dogs, an internship program for humane workers and a shelter for pit bull dogs. Before joining Animal Farm Foundation in 2008, Stacey co-founded Indy Pit Crew, an Indianapolis nonprofit dedicated to ending the cruelty and prejudices suffered by pit bull dogs. In her role as president of Indy Pit Crew, she worked with her community to twice defeat the Indianapolis mayor s attempts to ban pit bull dogs in the city. She has presented at many national conferences, holds a degree in American Sign Language and shares her home with seven dogs and six cats. David Favre is a professor of law at Michigan State University College of Law. Over the past 20 years, Professor Favre has written several articles and books dealing with legal animal issues, including such topics as animal cruelty, wildlife law, the use of animals for scientific research and international control of animal trade. His books include the case book Animal Law: Welfare, Interest, and Rights (2nd ed.), Animal Law and Dog Behavior and International Trade in Endangered Species. He also has presented to national and international audiences on these topics. He created and is editor-in-chief of the largest animal legal web resource, www.animallaw.info. Now residing on a farm in lower Michigan, Professor Favre shares his space with sheep, chickens and the usual assortment of dogs and cats. He was a national officer of the Animal Legal Defense Fund for 22 years. Presently, he is the legislative vice chair of the American Bar Association/TIPS Committee on Animal Law and chair of the American Association of Law Schools, Animal Law Committee. Pauline Hancock has been executive director of the Elk Country Animal Shelter since 2009 when the shelter first opened. She has been a member of the Board since it was organized in 2002. She was also instrumental in the community push to close the primitive outside - only ACO kennel and get the shelter built, which they did in less than seven years. Pauline is also the shelter groomer for shelter dogs and available for community animals. She s volunteered for a few years at Roswell Humane Society in New Mexico, grooming and socializing animals and acting as corresponding secretary. Amy Johnson is the founder and director of Teacher s Pet: Dogs and Kids Learning Together, developed and directs both the online Animal Assisted Therapy Certificate Program and Honors College Human Animal Bond course through Oakland University. She previously held positions at the Michigan Humane Society as a community relations specialist and dog training instructor and is nationally certified as a dog training instructor through the Council of Pet Dog Trainers. Through the Teacher s Pet program, Amy is actively involved with several local rescues and shelters to teach at-risk adolescents how to train behaviorally challenged shelter dogs with the goal of improving their chances for adoption and remaining in their homes permanently. She and her colleagues recently received a two-year National Institutes of Health grant in collaboration with Teacher s Pet, the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center and Macomb County Animal Shelter. 3

Jenny Paillon has served at the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) for four years and has a master s degree in public administration. As the HSHV clinic director, Jenny was responsible for expanding community services aimed at reducing overpopulation, including the creation of Washtenaw County s first high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinic, which did 9,000 sterilizations in 2011 alone. Jenny has worked with PetSmart Charities to provide free spay/neuter to pit bulls and partnered with Ypsilanti Township to create a mandatory spay/neuter ordinance. Jenny was recently promoted to director of operations at HSHV. In her spare time, she is pursuing her law degree. Lisa Pick serves as the chair of the Board of Directors of All About Animals Rescue. She became involved with All About Animals Rescue shortly after it was formed and since that time has been actively involved in fundraising, vaccine clinics and the promotion of spay/neuter and adoption. Lisa strongly believes in the mission of All About Animals Rescue - No More Homeless Pets! All About Animals Rescue offers low-cost spay/neuter and vaccine services, a TNR program, the provision of food and outreach and adoption services. In 2011, Lisa spent a great deal of time developing and implementing the All About Animals Rescue Pet Support Line. The Pet Support Line was launched in November 2011 with the support of a grant from the Banfield Charitable Trust. The Pet Support Line was developed to create, foster and preserve the human pet bond by helping families who might otherwise feel compelled to give up their pets and by assisting those who can offer a good home, but need help finding the perfect new addition to their family. Lisa is a corporate attorney with a large Detroit law firm and in that regard has also provided pro-bono services to assist with animal causes. At home, Lisa treasures her time with her pets. Courtney Protz-Sanders is the founder and executive director of Troy-based Paws for Life Rescue, a foster-based animal welfare organization operating throughout southeast Michigan. Courtney has more than 13 years of experience in the field. Employed by the Dumb Friends League, a large open admission humane society with intake numbers averaging 75 a day, in Denver, Colorado, from 1999 through 2004, Courtney has since volunteered her time at various shelters in Oakland County. She started the volunteer-run, 501c3 non-profit Paws for Life Rescue in November 2007. Courtney is also an active volunteer of NDART, the National Disaster Animal Response Team, and was deployed to New Orleans following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, to San Diego following the wildfires in 2007 and most recently to Missouri for the largest multi-state dog fighting bust in the country s history. Courtney works full-time in the auto industry in addition to managing the rescue. She graduated from Michigan State University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in communication, then earned a Master of Science degree in public relations in 2002 from the University of Denver. Courtney s family consists of rescued animals: two pit bull mixed dogs Peanut and Tyson and two cats Marley and Pippin, as well as several foster animals at any given time. Jeff Randazzo currently serves as the animal control officer for the City of Sterling Heights. Jeff attended Michigan State University where he studied Equine Science & Livestock Management, which prepared him for his employment with the City of Detroit as a horse trainer and instructor for the Detroit Mounted Police. For the last decade, Jeff s professional career has concentrated on various aspects of welfare for homeless cats and dogs from animal evaluator and adoption counselor, to veterinary and surgical assistant, to animal control for both municipal and nonprofit shelters. Jeff takes a problem solving approach to animal control, which is exemplified with a recent instance where a breed specific proposal was being considered in his community. He was successful in providing information to restructure the proposal so that it was in the best interest of the city and all dogs in the city, which was to regulate conditions that make dogs unbalanced and vicious. Ask him about that new city ordinance. 4

Deborah Schutt is chair and one of the founders of the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance. She is an urban planner by profession. After 21 years working for the public sector, she established her own consulting firm 15 years ago, working out of her home, which allowed her to volunteer as a foster parent for puppies. As she became more familiar and more involved with animal welfare, Deborah became acutely aware of the lack of planning, collaboration and use of systematic approaches, which were successfully used in other areas of her profession, to solve and address problems and issues in animal welfare. She became convinced that animal homelessness in Michigan could be solved, including saving the more than 100,000 animals annually euthanized in shelters, if a different approach was taken. Lester Thompson is a certified public accountant with more than 20 years of experience providing tax and accounting services to clients. His experience includes extensive expertise related to federal and state non-profit tax issues. Additionally, Lester has extensive experience in representing clients in tax examinations by IRS and state tax authorities. In addition to income taxation matters, he also has extensive experience in employee benefit plan and payroll tax matters of both non-profit and for-profit companies. In addition to his work as an accountant, Lester is also a member of the National Disaster Animal Response Team of the Humane Society of the United States, and has responded to animal-related emergencies, including natural disasters, as well as large scale cruelty and law-enforcement seizures. He is also an instructor for the Humane Society University, presenting their Disaster Animal Response Training, as well as Emergency Animal Sheltering. Lester is also an active member of the Michigan State Animal Response Team. Lester is the parent of Bentley, a rescued lab/shepherd mix, Sabrina, a crazy sheltie, and Pilar, The Amazing 6 Fingered Cat! Cyndi Urbancic first volunteered at a shelter in Tennessee when she lived there in the 90s. She moved back to Michigan in 2000 and was not involved in animal welfare again, other than making donations. When her sister s dog died, they went on Petfinder on a Sunday afternoon at the end of 2008 to look for a new dog. She saw a dog at Livingston County Animal Control named Oreo. He had an end date. At the time, Cyndi was very naïve and didn t know what this meant, so she called that Monday morning to inquire. Cyndi was told that Oreo would be put down if not adopted in 14 days, of which only four days were left. She found out stray animals were given even less time a mere seven days to be adopted, then they were killed. She frantically searched for an adopter or foster all that week for Oreo. That was the beginning of her involvement and long journey to bring about change at Livingston County Animal Control. She had neither credentials nor really any experience to speak of, other than the need and total outrage to change things there. Lareina Van Strien first became involved in animal rescue in 2003, starting out as a dog walker for Kent County Animal Shelter and progressing through intern, adoption counselor, off-site adoptions and foster home (fostering more than 40 dogs her first year). After graduating from Aquinas College, she moved up to Marquette County and was hired on as animal caregiver for Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter (UPAWS). She quickly became deeply involved and started fostering, expanding their animal enrichment program and fundraising. She was promoted to supervisor, then in 2012 to manager. Lareina has been instrumental in fundraising (developing three new fundraisers), the Spay it Forward campaign and the Food Bank program. As manager, she hopes to reduce the number of animals coming into shelters by further developing and utilizing their Home 2 Home program, as well as to continue to help the Spay it Forward fund grow. She is still strongly involved in the UPAWS animal enrichment program and regularly checks each individual animal in their care for its individual needs (foster care, more exercise, training, etc.). She lives with her adopted dog Tucker, who has helped many foster dogs heal, and her four adopted cats. 5

Nathan J. Winograd is a graduate of Stanford Law School, a former criminal prosecutor and corporate attorney, has spoken nationally and internationally on animal sheltering issues, has written animal protection legislation at the state and national levels, has created successful No Kill programs in both urban and rural communities and has consulted with a wide range of animal protection groups, including some of the largest and best known in the nation. His book Redemption is the most critically acclaimed book on the topic in the United States and the winner of five national book awards. Winner of USA Book News Award for Best Book (Animals/Pets), a Best Book Muse Medallion winner by the Cat Writers Association of America, an Award of Excellence and Best Book nominee by the Dog Writers Association of America, winner of a Silver Medal from the Independent Publishers Association and runner-up for the Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Publishing, the book shatters the notion that killing animals in U.S. shelters is an act of kindness. He is also the author of Irreconcilable Differences, a collection of essays that follows up where Redemption left off and asks and answers the question of whether we can do better as a society when it comes to our stewardship of companion animals. 877-FUR-PALS www.michiganpetfund.org conference@michiganpetfund.org 6